Master Bates Says It All and It's All Wrong

Leeds United chairman Ken Bates has launched an amazingly childish and pathetic attack against Barry Kilby for trying to entice manager Simon Grayson to leave Elland Road. Not only that but he has taken a sideswipe at the club with some very derogatory comments.

In an astonishing outburst he is reported as saying the following in the Daily Express:

"Why would Simon want to leave Leeds for Burnley? I mean they are a small manufacturing town in Lancashire. Simon is a Yorkshireman. We have 10 times their population, 50 per cent bigger gates than Burnley and we beat them pre-season anyway. They might be in the Premier League now but I think they lost £9million last year and, if they come down, they will go back to where they came from - whereas Leeds are on the up"

How many times do we have to hear what a big club Leeds United are (NOT!!)? The way their Board have handled the finances at Elland Road over the years is a disgrace. A club that has had to be brought out of administation and one that has been docked fifteen points by the Football League is hardly in a fit state to belittle a club two leagues above them and in far better financial shape.

The pompous aggressive, self-righteous stance of Master Bates is of course nothing new. Give me the mild mannered, Burnley through-and-through Chairman, Barry Kilby any day over that disgrace of a man. No wonder virtually the whole country of fans have only one thing to sing when Leeds are in town and of course the word 'hate' and 'scum' appear in the same mantra. I am pleased our Ken is ensuring that song will forever be sung.

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I read about this yesterday and it thoroughly p****d me off, but didn't have any time to come on here and rant. What a dolloper he is! Is he so out of touch that he thinks we all still run around in cotton mills knitting pretty jumpers?

Presumably that rejection in the 60s still troubles the poor soul. In fairness, Leeds are looking a little better this season, and I did enjoy their win at OT. But how's their bank balance at the moment? Can't be far off time for more games of musical chairs and some sack races round the Boardroom table. And with the taxman in a bad mood at the moment, there must be a lot of winding up orders about to get put in the post. How many companies with Leeds FC somewhere in their corporate name might be getting one of those, I wonder? It's no wonder Mr Bates gets confused and angry. Can VR loan him his nurse perhaps? But Bates probably can't even afford that.

As an accountant I have seen both set's of accounts and Leeds Made a 4.5 million profit last year, where as Burnley posted a 1.8 million Loss.
Financial , Leeds are one of the more stable clubs currently in the country with no large debts and making a profit .
Wether Leeds are a better club or not , they seem to be idealy placed for a push up the leagues, with a good sqaud, a committed and (in my opinion) very good manager and solid finances.

KB is no fan of the LEEDS SUPPORTERS but our finances are in good shape at the moment having madea £4m profit last season and on track to at least match that tis season. The only transfer fee we have paid in the last year is £250k for Bromby so the money is locked in some deep off shore vault.
Good luck to 'the little cotton town' in the PL and I hope you do the same to the big boys that we did at OT.

Yes but your analysis of the accounts are from last year surely and we have since been promoted with all the financial advantages that brings. Kilby & the Board assure us we will soon be debt-free and intend to remain so. I just wonder if the 'mighty only to Leeds fans' Leeds will be tempted to go for broke again and spend big should they ever get to the top flight again of which there is no guarantee

My comment in saying that Leeds are financially more secure at the moment can only be based on the figures i have at present. Obviously burnley will see an increase in profits this season, but if they go down, will they be maintained?Leeds profits are not bolstered by a promotion and as such i believe Leeds are better suited at the current time.

If we go down we are protected rightly or wrongly by parachute payments to a degree and the whole strategy has been to buy the right sort of players with potential and youth on their side to try & get us back up. We certainly won't be spashing the dosh on Premier League has beens who will be off like a shot if we go down! (Sound familiar?)

Bfc's oft-stated strategy is to be a financially sustainable club, whether we stay up or go down... and my strong instinct is that the strategy is being followed diligently. Read David Conn's December Guardian article if you want a second opinion. Meanwhile, congratulations to Lfc for making a couple of profits. It must be a few yars since that happened. How big is the remaining debt? How much got written off in the various reorganisations? And how much of that was owed to taxpayers all over the country and council tax payers in Leeds? Burnley Football Club has never had to run away from its obligations. A few scores to settle maybe. But not debts.

I am also curious... what money, if any, has Bates, on balance, taken out of his dealings with various football clubs over the years? And what, if any, has Kilby done? I don't know. But I wonder if, on the one hand, we are talking about a very successful businessman who has moved from one community to another, and done rather well for himself out of their clubs; and on the other, a very successful businessman who has been enormously philanthropic through his lifelong commitment to a community by means of his involvement in the iconic club at its heart. If I were in charge of doling out things like knigthoods, I know which one of them I'd send the telegram to.

Yes and if I understood it all I would too, however my nurse Ulrika is busy at the moment and doesn't like the picture of the beast you call Master Bates! As for my feelings the man is a football liability and shouldn't be in charge of dressing himself let alone a football clubs finances.

Trouble is though his money talks and it would appear he can say anything he wants about anybody without blinking an eyelid nor worrying that it might be deeply offensive.Makes you realise what a gent we have in Kilby and for that matter Flood

Not sure anyone takes Ken Bates seriously now, even if they ever did. Frankly, it's a good job his money talks because every time he opens his fat gob and mumbles something through his unkempt whiskers I can never understand what he is saying.

I really don't care what Bates says. He wants the limelight as much as he can and this is why he is controversial. If everyone did the right thing and ignored him rather than getting wound up by it he would eventually crawl back under the stone that he came from.

Just for tommo, the reason that Leeds are now solvent is becasue they went bust! They went into administration so they could write off alot of their debt. Yes they now will make a profit etc.. You also fail to account for the fact that wages in the championship and PL are higher than league one and this might lead to leeds spending a little bit more of their profit. And Ken bates is an A**E H**E! I can remember going to Hull v Plymouth game a couple of years ago and the whole ground was singing We all hate Leeds! Its their place in life.

Now let's look at Burnley a small town club but one that was a founder member of the Football League and one with a proud history. We might be small but the percentage of the town's population supporting the club is higher than even Manchester United and I think we deserve more respect. Barry Kilby. our Chairman is a decent hard working guy as well as a Burnley fan with a determination to see this club debt free and although we have been close to going out of the League altogether (Orient game) and come close to folding especially at the time of the Digital collapse we are still here and have clawed our way back to the very top flight after a gap of 33 years. We will be one of the few clubs in the Prem League who will be debt free if we are not already and that deserves applause not ridicule bearing in mind we have done this without ever going into administration and having our debts conveniently wiped clean. We are a big club both in terms of our relative support and our financial management and what Bates said about us is disgraceful.

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